From Sesfontein it is a hop, skip and a jump to Khowarib Lodge where we regroup before starting the next stage of the day. It doesn’t go without incident as a low water cement bridge, covered in slime, catches out one of the group’s more seasoned riders, and he has nasty slide.
There are two routes to Palmwag. The first is a 75km dash on a gravel highway that will see you get to Palmwag in no time. Some of the riders are fatigued and a few are carrying minor injuries. They very wisely opt to take this route. It was also going to be a proper challenge for the Starship Enterprise as we will be doing a long stretch in the Ombonde river before taking on a few more challenges.
@Striggs therefore decides that his marriage is worth more and he has done it before, therefore also taking the gravel highway.
The second route will take us through the Khowarib Schlucht where we will first encounter some sneaky fesh-fesh pits. We will then enter the Ombonde river and ride for (if I recall correctly) 22km’s in the river before exiting onto “Klein Serengeti”. This is another wonder that is hard to describe, hopefully the photos and videos can show some of its splendour. We will then get on the Otjondeka trail which becomes very technical with sandy sections in-between the long rocky sections. At times we lose the road even though our GPS is telling us we are on it. We bundu-bash our way through.
Well, we leave Khowarib Lodge and not 20 minutes into the ride I have my second big fall of the trip. But first we hit the fesh-fesh. I get through it unscathed this time, but
@NIMMO wasn’t so lucky in the fesh-fesh. I will let him share his version of events
Here is
@NIMMO when
@hartebees came upon him, just as he got up from his spill. Great photo,
@hartebees !
After successfully negotiating the fesh-fesh I enter a riverbed. A couple is coming through from the other side in a 4x4, and the lady is standing in the riverbed filming hubby as he negotiates the steep descent into the riverbed. I wait for him to finish his descent and as he enters the river I attempt to get out on the other side. I am not sure what exactly happened but going past the vehicle slowly and then trying to pick up speed for the ascent up the riverbank, I think I tugged on the throttle a bit too much, at the wrong time. My front wheel lifted as I went over a rock, I lost my balance, and slammed into the lefthand side of the path leading out of the river,
hard. There goes mirror number one. That is, however, the least of my worries. My left foot and left hand bore the brunt of the impact. And to make it worse, I have an audience. The two flabbergasted Germans aren’t sure what to do. The woman bewilderedly asks if she can help me. Being a proud, stupid male, I pretend as if everything is fine. Just fine, with a smile. I wrestle my bike up and ride away quickly with my tail between my legs. But dammit!, I can feel my left big toe and the lefthand side of my left hand is in trouble.
Oh well, I continue the ride and enjoy riding the sand in the river immensely. I just mustn’t change gears, that left toe doesn’t like it. Luckily, you can do almost anything in third gear on an XR.
I meet up with
@P.K.,
@NIMMO,
@hartebees sweeping and the Cruisers making up the rear. We take frequent breaks as we continue along the river, with nature spoiling us with her beauty.
